Meet actor, filmmaker and Rotator Anya, who discovered By Rotation four years ago after listing the dresses she’d previously worn to film festivals and weddings, quickly finding a second life for her wardrobe.
As Anya prepares to welcome her first child, the income from her rentals has taken on new meaning — helping fund the short film she plans to shoot after maternity leave. From playful layering to comfortable dresses and joyful accessories, she’s embraced a colourful, feminine approach to maternity style.
Scroll to read on and inspire your bump friendly rental.
How would you best describe your By Rotation wardrobe?
Colourful, playful, feminine and eclectic. I like to have fun when it comes to my clothes.
What pieces or outfit pairings have you relied on most during your pregnancy?
I’ve relied heavily on turtlenecks and undershirts to keep my old wardrobe going for as long as I could. It's amazing how useful these undergarments are. You can turn a short-sleeve outfit into a long-sleeve outfit, swap colours of the undershirts to keep the outfit feeling fresh, keep yourself warm, and if you can’t close a button on your top or your shirt comes undone, there is an extra layer covering you. I’ve worn these under cardigans, short-sleeve dresses, shirts and just by themselves with accessories over them.
My favourite outfit was a sleeveless wool Nanushka dress with a flower, which I bought during my pregnancy. It was warm & comfortable, and I wore it with pink and black turtlenecks to keep it varied, and the flower on the belly kept nicely stretching and growing throughout the pregnancy. I’ve relied on dresses mainly as they give you more space to grow and move around. Earlier in the pregnancy, I also wore a lot of pyjama and “nightgown” style outfits from brands like Sleeper, Olivia Von Halle, For Restless Sleepers and Dreamers Rebels. I am planning to return to a lot of these postpartum.
In terms of accessories, I became a fan of headbands as an easy way to elevate an outfit and wore different earrings, necklaces and beads, including ones I made myself. It felt like a good time to be girly and playful.
My Manolo Blahnik flats became my go-to shoes over the pregnancy for going out, they look festive and are comfortable. Whilst to keep myself warm in the last months of pregnancy, which fell during winter, I heavily relied on an oversized Max Mara coat, which I can still button up in the last days of pregnancy and have a fluffy headband to go with it to keep it cute and fun.
What are your thoughts on buying pregnancy-specific clothing vs renting your wardrobe?
I didn’t buy any pregnancy-specific clothes except for leggings. It felt a bit pointless as the body was changing all the time, and given that pregnancy only lasts 9 months, I don’t know what I would do with the maternity clothes after. I adapted as much as I could from my wardrobe, rented for special occasions and bought a minimal amount of clothes from non-maternity brands, which I felt I could wear throughout pregnancy and after.
I’ve actually cleared my own personal wardrobe a lot during pregnancy, reviewing some items which have been in my closet for many years. It felt like a good time to let go of them and clear up space for a new stage in my life. I also didn’t want the pressure of feeling like I have to return to my pre-pregnant size and body. It's great if that happens, but if it doesn’t, that’s also ok and I can move into my new status and new chapter wearing new clothes either way. So I’ve been very careful regarding what new things I add, as I want to keep the possibilities open for a new style evolution after I give birth.
What is one rule you stick by when it comes to maternity dressing?Comfort over anything else, but make it cute!
How have you maintained your personal sense of style during this stage?
Although I could not wear a lot of my more fitted feminine items, I went into a more girly direction with my choice of colours, styles and accessories, keeping it playful, colourful and comfortable. I like to keep things fun when it comes to clothing, and I think I managed that.
How do you plan to continue to use By Rotation postpartum? Are there any rentals you already have your eye on?
A lot of my outfits are on By Rotation at the moment, as I’ve cleared my closet to make space. I listed a lot of things as well, which I am not planning to wear anymore, but I am sure others will enjoy. I am also listing the clothes I wore during pregnancy so others can make use of them.
I am holding myself from buying new things at the moment, as I am not sure which size I will be in the coming year, and I have summer weddings and events to go to, so I have my eyes on a few potential rentals to get me through these events before I am ready to commit to investing in a new wardrobe.
Discover the 'Bump Friendly' Edit on the By Rotation app.
